When: 10 a.m.-3 p.m., World Kidney Day March 8 with free cooking demonstrations at 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. Where: University of Michigan Medical Center, 1515 E. Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, Mich., in the Dow Auditorium Lobby.Who should come: Anyone can get chronic kidney disease at any age, but some people are more likely than others to develop kidney disease. You have an increased risk of kidney disease if you:

have diabetes

have high blood pressure

have a family history of chronic kidney disease

are older

belong to a population group with a high rate of diabetes or high blood pressure, such as Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Pacific Islanders and American Indians.

Celebrated worldwide, World Kidney Day offers a crucial, visible opportunity to inform and educate health policymakers, people who are at highest risk of CKD, and the general public that kidney disease is common, harmful and treatable.

Across the globe, over 1.5 million people are currently kept alive through dialysis or transplantation and the number is forecasted to double within the next 10 years.

However, a simple way to prevent these issues is systematically screening people diagnosed with diabetes or hypertension with simple and inexpensive urine tests.

“Many people are currently not aware that their kidneys are damaged and they might find out too late. The need for dialysis or transplantation can be avoided if kidney diseases are detected early,” says Eric Mullen, administrator of the Division of Nephrology at the U-M Health System.

University of Michigan kidney specialists are working with the U-M Transplant Center, the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan and other community partners to host the World Kidney Day event.

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